Hantavirus survivor shares the illnesss most terrifying symptoms: It was so traumatic

A hantavirus survivor shared how it made her vomit so much that she developed a phobia of it.Shaina Montiel, 38, caught hantavirus – now widely known due to its recent outbreak on a cruise – and is sharing the symptoms she suffered.At the time, the condition was extremely rare, and it took several doctors to diagnose Shaina after she began vomiting and ‘hemorrhaging rectally’ aged five.Shaina, from a suburb of Los Angeles, in California, US, was eventually diagnosed with the hemorrhagic strain of the virus, different from the Andes strain found aboard the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius.Then in kindergarten, Shaina spent over a week in hospital being tested for meningitis and leukaemia before getting her diagnosis.She said it caused her so much pain that she couldn’t even be touched without flinching – and she was monitored for two years after she recovered because of how rare and unknown the condition then was.As more people become aware of the condition, Shaina shared her experiences – having gone over three decades without ever knowing of another case.Shaina, a special education teacher, said: “I have a lot of memories from that time, because it was so traumatic – I’ve never forgotten it.“I remember I had flu-like symptoms and had antibiotics, then one day I began hemorrhaging rectally – I couldn’t control it.“It hit me really hard – no illness since has caused that severe vomiting.“When I was diagnosed, the doctors asked my mom’s permission to document everything in my case because it was so uncommon.“Seeing someone who survived it on TV this week was the first time I’d seen another survivor.“Growing up, there was no information out there about it.Now there is, it’s like a little part of me is being shared with the world.”Shaina fell ill in 1993 from a mystery illness, which first presented as the flu.She was prescribed antibiotics but returned to the doctor’s the next day when she became weak, although she was reassur...